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<title>[I] trusted [you] by Chocopiggy</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23589283">[I] trusted [you]</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chocopiggy/pseuds/Chocopiggy'>Chocopiggy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Choco's MARVELous Fics [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anthony Edward Stark, Everyone lives, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, IronStrange, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Shock, Trauma, Trust, post-battle conversation, stephen vincent strange - Freeform, they're gay, very gay</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:15:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,031</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23589283</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chocopiggy/pseuds/Chocopiggy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Stephen and Tony talking after the battle of Thanos.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tony Stark/Stephen Strange</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Choco's MARVELous Fics [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1696747</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>96</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>[I] trusted [you]</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I'm following a prompt list!</p><p>https://creativichee.tumblr.com/post/120992338495/send-me-a-number-and-ill-write-a-micro-story</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After the battle of Thanos, all Tony wanted was to go home and sleep, or drink, or scream into eternity. He was just so tired. Snapping everyone back into existence after the long 6 months it took for him to figure out time travel after sinking into depression was exhausting, believe it or not.</p><p>During that time, Pepper could no longer see herself being with Tony as both Tony Stark the man and Iron Man the superhero. The breakup was quick and inevitable, leaving Tony to work without concern for his own health and safety, never mind a significant other’s.</p><p>But now that it was all over, Tony felt far from peaceful. He felt… empty. As if everything that had happened to him: Afghanistan, Vanko, the Mandarin, the battle of New York, Ultron, Siberia, the breakup, the snap, the second snap, it was all catching up to him. And it felt so heavy it was as if he couldn’t even begin to chip away at his pain.</p><p>The Avengers were all looking at him for further instruction, but more at the composition of infinity stones still on the right hand of his armour. They looked suddenly so quaint. Without realizing, Tony grinned, holding them up to catch the light, turning his hand this way and that. He laughed, sinking onto his knees before looking up to the sky. He didn’t notice a certain sorcerer barking orders at others before approaching him.</p><p>“Stark.”</p><p>His grin faded as Tony recognized the smooth baritone without turning around. “Wizard.”</p><p>Feeling a heavy hand on his shoulder, he craned his neck, to see the wizard bending down behind him, with concern evident in his green-grey eyes, and a tired but amused smile. Strange sat down on his left side, stretching his long legs out, his cloak hanging limply off his shoulders echoing its master’s exhaustion.</p><p>It might have been the shock, but Tony couldn’t stop staring at the other man’s profile. His silver streaks and prominent cheekbones were imprinted in Tony’s mind ever since they met six months before, but seeing them in real life once more was something he never expected to happen.</p><p>“We’re going to have to do something about the stones.”</p><p>Snapping out of his daze, Tony looked back to his hand. “Yeah.”</p><p>“I’m sorry.”</p><p>This seemed to come out of nowhere, and was something Tony was unused to hearing unless it was being said on his behalf, despite whatever he thought. “What for?”</p><p>“Giving up the stone. Putting you through hell these past months.” Stephen paused. “But believe me when I said this was the only way.”</p><p>Tony exhaled loudly, reliving Titan all over again. He observed the movement of people (and otherworldly creatures) before them.</p><p>Seeing Tony wasn’t quite himself yet, Stephen took Tony’s hand in his own, grounding the both of them. He continued. “I trusted you. After seeing over 14 million versions of you, I knew you wouldn’t let us down. And now I won’t let you down.”</p><p>The sudden sincerity in the sorcerer’s voice caused Tony to snap back to attention, looking at Stephen incredulously. “You couldn’t let me down.”</p><p>“But I did once didn’t I? Six months ago. When I first turned to dust. Left you stranded.” Strange smiled darkly at the memory. “And it would be so much like me to run away from what I put you through, more for my own gain than yours. But I can tell we’re too alike for that to do much good anyways. So as long as you need me, I’m here.” He squeezed Tony’s hand as if to affirm this.</p><p>“You couldn’t let me down,” Tony repeated. Stephen looked doubtful, but remained attentive.</p><p>Tony continued. “Yes, I was all levels of traumatized after seeing you, Peter, those space idiots, everyone except Nebula just… disappear like that. But believe it or not, I trusted you too. And I took it to heart that whatever path you set us on was ‘the only way,’ and I wasn’t going to mess that up for anything. And so here we are.”</p><p>“Here we are…” Stephen trailed off, looking into the distance. He seemed vaguely unaware his and Tony’s hands were still joined.</p><p>“And so I’m here for you too,” Tony said adamantly. Grey eyes met brown ones, both men sensing a change in the atmosphere.</p><p>“Stop me if I’m reading this wrong…” Stephen said, leaning in. “Don’t you dare,” Tony said, right before their lips met.</p><p>Tony let go of Stephen’s hand to take off the right hand of his armour, absentmindedly leaving it in the dirt beside him, where it got picked up by Danvers to be protected until later. He held the wizard close, while Stephen moved to straddle Tony in the middle of the field.</p><p>They broke apart, their foreheads resting against each other. “I’m here for you. Don’t you dare forget” Stephen reiterated. Tony nodded under the other’s intense gaze.</p><p>Stephen smiled as he held both of Tony’s hands, newly freed of any armour. Tony grinned, realizing how distracted he was by the sorcerer that he managed to remove the gauntlet without any such fears that had plagued him since forever ago. And that the wizard managed to heal his arm to almost completely normal, during their… session.</p><p>“Thank you,” Tony whispered.</p><p>Stephen climbed off him, holding out a hand to help Tony up. There was a brightness, a sureness in the wizard’s eyes that wasn’t there before, emphasized by the change in their colour from their greyer-green to lighter blue.</p><p>Tony stood, and looking at the other man, he realized their trust in each other wasn’t misplaced, their dynamic working beautifully from the start. And after helping with the disaster that surrounded them, they’d have all the time in the world to simply be together.</p><p>Tony and Stephen departed, both more grounded and ready to tackle later problems, reassured they’d have each other no matter what.</p><p>Arriving back at the Avengers compound, they moved to Tony’s room, cleaning up and falling into a peaceful sleep. The next morning, they woke up for the first time being content to face it, knowing it’d be easier having each other.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello my guys, gals and non-binary pals. Hope you're doing well!</p><p>Loved the feedback on my other two works, thank you so much! Kudos and comments are awesome.</p><p>Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/chocopiggy<br/>Instagram: @itschocopiggysart</p></blockquote></div></div>
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